Valkyrie The Women of the Viking World Synopsis
Longlisted for the 2020 Cundill History Prize
Valkyries: the female supernatural beings that choose who dies and who lives on the battlefield. They protect some, but guide spears, arrows and sword blades into the bodies of others. Viking myths about valkyries attempt to elevate the banality of war - to make the pain and suffering, the lost limbs and deformities, the piles of lifeless bodies of young men, glorious and worthwhile. Rather than their death being futile, it is their destiny and good fortune, determined by divine beings. The women in these stories take full part in the power struggles and upheavals in their communities, for better or worse.
Drawing on the latest historical and archaeological evidence, Valkyrie introduces readers to the dramatic and fascinating texts recorded in medieval Iceland, a culture able to imagine women in all kinds of roles carrying power, not just in this world, but pulling the strings in the other-world, too. In the process, this fascinating book uncovers the reality behind the myths and legends to reveal the dynamic, diverse lives of Viking women.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781788314770 |
| Publication date: |
2nd April 2020 |
| Author: |
Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir |
| Publisher: |
Bloomsbury Academic an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Primary Genre |
History
|
Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir Press Reviews
[Fridriksdottir] brilliantly manages to make the Vikings feel far closer to us than ever before ... 4 stars. - Mail on Sunday
Fridriksdottir weaves a complex picture in which different kinds of evidence successfully illuminate each other to provide a rich and detailed picture ... This book is intelligent, engaging and well written, with many new insights. - BBC History Magazine
Valkyries have an obvious appeal, but the real women of the Viking age are more exciting. In Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir's significant new history, they are brought engagingly to life. - Times Literary Supplement
[A] fascinating overview of women's roles in the Viking world, from infancy to death. It's a period of history that continues to grip the popular imagination, here brought evocatively to life through archaeological discoveries and contemporary sources, including emotive stories and verse. - History Revealed
This deep dive into the lives of the women of the Viking era is a fascinating one, combining as it does both the realities and mythology of the time ... Fridriksdottir's investigation merges these two worlds brilliantly ... 4 stars. - All About History
The author's dilemma, in this scholarly study, is to reconcile the larger-than-life legends of monstrous mothers and terrifying shield maidens with the more mundane and complex reality of daily life for Viking women from childhood to old age. -- Fiona Capp and Cameron Woodhead - Brisbane Times
Through an excellent insight into both the written, as well as archaeological sources the author weaves a clear picture of women's lives from birth to death in the Viking Age. Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World is a significant book. - Professor Jon Vidar Sigurdsson, University of Oslo
Authoritative and provocative, bang up-to-date, yet steeped in historical knowledge, JKF's Valkyrie is indispensable for all Viking enthusiasts. Her lively style, profound knowledge and brilliant insights signal a stunning new voice in the debate about the Vikings. - Carolyne Larrington, Professor of Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford
This is the new standard work on women in the Viking Age - a lively, authoritative and staunchly feminist survey that combines both textual and material sources in a ground-breaking study of the female life-course. With this superb book, Johanna Katrin has put Viking scholars in her debt. - Neil Price, Professor of Archaeology, Uppsala University
What a wonderful book. For the first time readers can understand the importance of the Valkyries in the Viking Age and see the impact these mythical women had more broadly on culture and society in the early medieval world. The scholarship is excellent, interpretation thorough, yet the writing style is accessible. It's a pleasure to read and be plunged into a world of sagas, runes, myth and magic. - Dr Janina Ramirez FRSA, University of Oxford
About Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir
Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir is a medievalist and literary scholar. Her work is about Vikings, medieval Iceland and the reception of these in the modern era. She currently works at the National Library of Norway in Oslo, Norway.
She studied at universities in Reykjavík, Iceland, and Brighton, UK before completing her doctorate in medieval literature from the University of Oxford, UK in 2010. After holding research fellowships at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavík, Iceland and at Harvard University, USA from 2010 to 2016, she was a lecturer at Yale University, USA from 2017 to 2019. Her publications include numerous articles, an edited volume and two books about medieval literature and manuscripts, and she has edited scholarly publications in the same fields.
She also works as a historical consultant for documentaries and feature films.
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